A.B. Rials, who cooked more than a crepe or two during a previous job at Village Inn, says he decided to open a crepe shop back in 2005 “because there wasn’t one around.” He serves both savory- and sweet-filled crepes from his itsy-bitsy restaurant just off Massachusetts Street. The Black Forest Crepe features a thin, jumbo-size pancake folded around ham, sweet apple compote and melty Brie.

Where to get it:A.B.’s Crepes, 17 W. Ninth St. (Hours are limited: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.)

What you’ll pay: $7

Try it with: A fork. These are not the crepes of French street carts, folded in paper and easy to eat while walking. They come on plates piled with creamy, syrupy, cheesy toppings.

Also on the menu: More lunch crepes, plus desert crepes such as the “Chocolate Bliss,” featuring the no-miss combination of Nutella and sliced bananas. A.B.’s also serves eggs Benedict, a few other breakfast items and sandwiches such as the Monte Cristo — ham, turkey and cheese dipped in egg and grilled.

— Off The Beaten Plate highlights some of the more exotic, oddly named or inventively concocted (for better or worse) dishes from local menus. Know of an offbeat menu item we should check out? Email food and features reporter Sara Shepherd at sshepherd@ljworld.com. Tweet her at Twitter.com/KCSSara.